The two halves of hip-hop's Throne will be presiding over the region separately.

Jay Z, the Brooklyn rapper who has spun his rags-to-riches story into a personal epic, will bring his crown to the Prudential Center on January 22. That'll be his fourth local stop on his Magna Carter World Tour, which kicks off in St. Paul, MN on Nov. 30. The "99 Problems" emcee, who toured stadiums this summer with Justin Timberlake, plays Barclays Center — the house he helped open — on Jan. 12 and 13, and the venerable Nassau Coliseum, site of some legendary hip-hop concerts, on Jan. 19. Interestingly, the North American leg of the Magna Carter Tour ends in the Northeast right before Super Bowl Sunday. Folks, I'm just sayin'.

Meanwhile, "little brother" Kanye West, producer of many of Jay Z's most memorable songs, is embarking upon a concert circuit of his own. West's autumn tour doesn't stop in New Jersey, but he'll be at Barclays on Nov. 19 and Madison Square Garden on Nov. 23. Kendrick Lamar, who recently set the Internet aflame with his confrontational verse on Big Sean's "Control," has been announced as the opening act as select dates on the Tour; alas, those don't seem to include the shows in our area. Instead, we've been promised a player to be named later. If you're really determined to catch Kendrick with Kanye — and the Compton emcee's fantastic set in the midst a downpour was the highlight of Summer Jam 2013 — they'll be together at the TD Garden in Boston on Nov. 17 and the Verizon Center in Washington, DC on Nov. 21.

West and Jay Z toured together as The Throne in autumn 2011, but since their successful collaborative project, their paths have diverged in the woods. Both artists have new albums out, but the "Magna Carta Holy Grail" and "Yeezus" projects could not be more different. The new Jay Z album is opulent, self-aggrandizing, reflective, and at times automatic, while West's set is as raw as a sore. "Yeezus," which is electro-fried and brutal, constantly attempts to offend, perturb, and push boundaries; "Magna Carta" is the testament of a family man easing into middle age and counting his money. Jay Z partnered with major communications corporations to launch "Magna Carta;" "Yeezus" was accompanied by a guerrilla marketing campaign that included projections on the sides of buildings. The barbed West album contains no obvious hit singles, and few concessions to the pop marketplace. Jay Z collaborated with the endearing Timberlake on "Magna Carta;" West dredged the menacing Chief Keef from the Chicago hip-hop underground to grumble an angry "Yeezus" hook.

Both Jay Z and Kanye West have distinguished themselves as live performers. Jay Z's delivery is precise and commanding; he calls himself hip-hop royalty and had the skills to back up his boasts. West often chooses to foreground his destabilization, his neediness, his emotional vulnerability, and his taste for high art. At his shows supporting "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy," he made imaginative use of a ballet troupe.

This will be Jay Z's first stop at the Prudential Center. Tickets for the Jay Z shows go on sale Thursday, Sept. 12 at 10 a.m. West's shows go on sale the followinf day.